Saturday Fulham Stuff (04/02/17)...

[WhiteJC]

 
PREVIEW: BIRMINGHAM CITY V FULHAM

Birmingham City could be without both of their first choice centre backs Michael Morrison and Ryan Shotton for this weekend's appointment with Fulham.

Both are laboured by groin strains, with Morrison managing his for several weeks - and Shotton having overstretched against Reading.

Gianfranco Zola will be desperate for at least one of them to be available on Saturday - but if not a host of selection dilemmas are thrown up.

Working on the basis Zola has neither, this is what he could do.

Blues (4-3-3): Kuszczak; Nsue, Bielik, Robinson, Keita; Gleeson, Davis, Gardner; Adams, Jutkiewicz, Frei.

Zola said on Tuesday Emilio Nsue will play this weekend. That's one change from the Reading game, Cheick Keita for Jonathan Grounds is another, Krystian Bielik in at centre back is a third.

This is the team Brian would go with

There is an argument to keep the changes to a minimum and go with Grounds instead of Keita.

But, working on the basis the youngster has cost upwards of £2m, he has to play at some stage and merely repeating the same old, same old hasn't served anyone very well over the last six weeks.

So it's far from ideal but Blues could be fielding a back four consisting in which three players have one Birmingham game between them - and a veteran who has been a professional for 20 years.

Wouldn't it be typical Blues is turned out to be the recipe for success?


http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/birmingham-city-v-fulham-blues-12554223

[WhiteJC]

 
David Prutton Predicts: Fulham, QPR and Wolves can all pick up wins in the Championship


Fulham are in form (Photo: Get Reading)

Sporting Life pundit and former Nottingham Forest and Southampton player David Prutton has cast his eye over the Championship to bring you the weekend's best bets...

Birmingham v Fulham (Saturday, 3pm)

Fulham have been fantastic, not only with the FA Cup win over Hull, but they followed it up with a victory over Burton. They are nicely placed in ninth to try and mount a surge into the play-offs.

Birmingham made a managerial change for a specific reason and it hasn't come off. They were doing fine under Gary Rowett and Gianfranco Zola was brought in to address the style of play and the results, and neither have improved.

Hopefully for them it won't be a situation where you have owners who think they know football but don't, and are in a position where they are employing people based on reputation rather than ability.

Zola has previous by getting Watford into the play-off final but that was a better squad. It was a strange change at the time and Birmingham are in a bit of a funk. Fulham over the course of the season have been very good away from home.

PRUTTON PREDICTS: 0-2 (Sky Bet odds 10/1)


http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/david-prutton-predicts-fulham-qpr-9752716